Unprepared to Entrepreneur
Book

Unprepared to Entrepreneur

A Method to the Madness of Starting Your Own Business

Sonya Barlow
Kogan Page, 2021
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Editorial Rating

8

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Recommendation

From accepting that failure is part of success to fulfilling business basics, building a personal brand and taking care of your mental health, award-winning entrepreneur Sonya Barlow uses her experiences and those of other entrepreneurs to help you avoid common pitfalls on your own start-up journey. Barlow includes numerous lists breaking down how to approach potential customers or advisers, as well as exercises to help you formulate your plans and templates for success. Writing informally, but informatively, Barlow encourages entrepreneurs to pursue their passions with pragmatic idealism.

Summary

To become an entrepreneur, believe in yourself and your idea and embrace the initial risk.

Sonya Barlow never planned to become an entrepreneur. She attended a networking event in 2018 primarily to meet other London businesswomen. Although she was impressed by the powerful women at the gathering, she learned that it would cost £1,500 [$2002] per month in fees to attend further events.

Barlow decided to create her own network using LinkedIn and Eventbrite. Although her first two networking events ended in failure, one person showed up at the third. That was enough to encourage Barlow to continue.

Within a year and a half, Barlow won awards for her business, started a consultancy and began this book. The mission of her nonprofit organization is to “reduce inequalities, build confidence and accelerate careers” for women and members of other marginalized groups. She started the Like-Minded Females (LMF) Network as she began a third corporate job. Working with volunteers and community members, Barlow built a network, including a mentoring group involving more than 200 people in 18 countries.

In the fall of 2019, Barlow left...

About the Author

Award-winning entrepreneur Sonya Barlow founded the @LMFnetwork. Computer Weekly named her one of “2020’s Most Influential Women in UK Technology.” 

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